1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to: a data processing apparatus capable of storing the optimum print profile for a record medium for each record medium and group, and transferring print data to a printer which detects the feature of the type of record medium at a print request from an application; a print control method; a computer-readable storage medium; and a program.
2. Related Background Art
Conventionally, a printing system is normally configured by a color printer capable of performing color output, a host computer for controlling the printer and generating print data, and a communications interface connecting them. In color printers, an ink jet printer can use various types of paper depending on each use. Paper of various materials is available. For example, plain paper for use in a copying machine, coated paper which is coated with silica, etc. for resisting smearing of ink and obtaining good coloring, glossy paper for use in forming a photographic image like a silver halide photo, an OHP film for a transparent original, a transfer paper for iron printing, a backprint film, etc. are available.
Not only various materials, but also various sizes of paper are marketed. For example, a postal card, an envelop, a glossy post card having glossy paper on the communications face, glossy paper of 4×6 size commonly used for a photographic paper in printing a photo, etc. depending on a specific purpose.
When the above-mentioned paper is printed, a user selects in advance the type of record medium (paper) to be printed in the print setting on the printer driver, and appropriate printing is performed based on the settings.
Recently, a printer load with a sensor called a media sensor for automatically determining the type of paper has been developed. With this type of printer, the types of paper broadly classified into the five groups (rectangular areas enclosed by the broken lined) are used as shown in FIG. 12. In this example, light is emitted to the surface of the paper, and the intensity of the reflected light (regularly reflected light and diffusion-reflected light) is used in determination. As an example of this type of data processing apparatus, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-212390 has been disclosed.
However, there have been the following problems with the above-mentioned conventional technology.
That is, a common ink jet printer not loaded with a media sensor, it is necessary for a user to select and set in advance the type of paper to be printed using the user interface according to the print settings (hereinafter possibly referred to as a UI). Due to the complicated operation of selecting a desired type of paper from among a number of choices, a setting different from the selection intention, poor knowledge of the paper on which the user prints, etc., appropriate printing for each type of paper sometimes cannot be provided. Especially when paper other than the original manufacturer's paper of a printer maker prepared as a choice is used, it is necessary to associate desired paper with original manufacturer's paper. As a result, a user has to perform a complicated process, obtain a considerably low-quality print result, waste expensive media and ink, take longer printing time, etc.
To solve a part of the above-mentioned problems, a printer which is loaded with a media sensor for specifying a type of paper and is capable of automatically setting a print mode appropriate for paper has been proposed. In this case, the following problem has been taken up. That is, according printer loaded with a media sensor is often limited in type of recognized paper as shown in FIG. 12. Therefore, although there are few erroneous determinations made, it is hard to set the optimum print mode for the target paper.
For example, as shown in FIG. 12, when recycled paper 1013 included in a definition area 1014 and determined as the paper belonging to a group of plain paper type is considered, print processing is performed using the optimum print profile for the group of plain paper type to which the recycled paper 1013 belongs. For the recycled paper, the print profile is not optimum but appropriate. As a result, the printing process is performed with not the best but appropriate print quality.
For example, when a postal card 1018 is considered, it is included in the definition area 1014. Therefore, it is determined as the paper belonging to a group of plain paper type. As a result, the print processing is performed using the optimum print profile for the group of plain paper type. In this case again, the printing process cannot be performed using the optimum print profile for a postal card.
The above-mentioned print processing is performed as a result of the sensor precision, the variance in the same paper, and the necessity for the support for all paper types marketed. If the classification is to be increased, there is the possibility that an incorrect type of paper can be selected.
The support for the type of paper other than the original manufacturer's paper is similarly performed as described above. That is, the type of paper closest in condition is automatically selected. Therefore, it is hard to precisely set the print mode for the corresponding type of paper.
Furthermore, when print processing is performed on the paper of the size depending on a specific purpose, for example, when it is performed on a postal card, a user specifies “post card size” as the paper size, and it is also necessary to specify “post card” as the type of paper.
The reason why “post card” is to be specified as the type of paper is that, for example, since a “post card” is thicker than “plain paper”, paper cannot be correctly fed without changing a paper-feed control method, that the type of ink, the amount of implanted ink, the number of operation paths cannot be selected as in the case of plain paper, because the ink cannot be easily dry.
Furthermore, since the “plain paper” is quite similar to the “post card” in characteristic, they cannot be automatically discriminated using a media sensor. However, since the user is not easily aware of the necessity for the designation of the “post card” for the type of paper in addition to the paper size, print processing is performed without settings, thereby failing in paper feed or insufficient print quality.
To take countermeasures against the above-mentioned problems, some printer drivers guide the setting of appropriate type of paper by displaying a message when the “post card size” is specified as a paper size, but there has been the problem that a user has to perform an operation according to the guide each time the user sets “post card size”.
There are a very large number of types of marketed paper, and a printer driver has to print these types of paper. Therefore, the type of paper for printing is to be selected from among a large number of choices.
However, although there are only several types of paper to be selected by a common user, the user has to perform the selecting operation. Therefore, the user sometimes cannot easily select the type, or fails to select the type of paper for printing.